Wishing for Rain
by tee-and-rainbows
Summary: In the midst of her relationship problems, Dr. Swan discovers that one of her students is suffering just as much, if not more than she is. She makes it her mission to figure out how to help him, but she never expected things to go this way. Gosh, she never expected this.
1. Favours

**Author's Note: First multichapter Captain Swan fic :) Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters. I am not looking to make a profit off of this.**

* * *

If she focused hard enough on the stacks of essays she needed to mark, it was easier to ignore the figure standing in the entrance to her office, staring her down with unbearable intensity. Emma wasn't sure exactly when the tension between her and her fiancé had started, but recently it had gotten worse, to the point that Walsh felt it necessary to visit her at work in some hope of convincing her to talk about their problems. What he didn't seem to realize, though, was that his attempts to fix them were only making the situation worse. He was making it harder for Emma to focus on anything but their conflict, and it was affecting her teaching, leading to the stacks of essays she needed to mark. Some of them were from three weeks ago, and she felt bad, considering it was no secret at Storybrooke University that Emma Swan was one of the fastest marking professors.

A loud cough from the door had Emma look up, frustration written all over her face. He was still leaning against the door frame, watching her with furrowed brows and lips pressed in a thin line. She absently wondered how he was even pulling off skipping work to come see her, but shoved the thought aside almost immediately. He was Walsh. Everyone loved him, especially his boss at work. She scowled, trying to forget that too.

"I have work to do, Walsh. Can't you wait until later?" she asked, her tone harsher than she had intended. He shrugged, tilting his head to the side.

"Come on, Ems. You've been staying at Ruby's every evening since the fight. When are we ever going to have time to talk about it?" he replied, pushing himself upright off the wall and taking a step towards her. Emma tensed up, wrapping her arms around her middle. As she did so, a glint of metal around her finger caught her eye and she blinked, looking back up at him.

"I just need some more time. Please? I promise. Tomorrow we'll talk. I really need to grade these though," she nodded at the papers on her desk, then gave him her most pleading expression. After a moment, as he seemed to think about it, Walsh finally nodded. He looked defeated.

"Tomorrow. Okay."

"I love you," she said quickly, trying to reassure him. Her fiancé nodded, mumbling a reply before turning and walking out of her office, closing the door a bit more forcefully than was necessary. Emma had only couple of minutes to collapse back in her chair, brushing her hair back behind her ears and trying to relax, before there was a knock at her door. Taking a moment to compose herself, she stood and walked to the door. Upon opening it, she found herself face to face with one of her students.

"Killian. Can I help you?" she asked, regarding the senior with a weary glance. He didn't seem to notice her mental exasperation, or if he did, he didn't show it. Instead, he merely shrugged.

"I was just wondering if you got my email? I sent it yesterday, and I never got a response..." he said, his voice trailing off. Emma followed his gaze to her desk, and let out a short sigh.

"Your email... about the extension, right? Yes, I did get it. I'm so sorry. I meant to reply," she ran her hand through her hair, mentally cursing. It wasn't the first student email she had forgotten about since the fight with Walsh. Killian shook his head, though.

"It's fine, Dr. Swan. Really. I was actually coming to let you know I didn't need it anymore. I made good progress on my paper today, and I'm going to be finished it by tomorrow," he said quickly. Emma arched an eyebrow, surprised. He was a good student, but if she remembered his email correctly, he had had a perfectly good reason for wanting an extension. She was impressed he had managed to pull everything together.

"Is that so? Well, good job. If something happens, though, consider yourself granted an extension until Friday. A favour, since I never replied in the first place," she said, walking back to her desk and sitting down. Killian grinned, running his fingers through the hair on the back of his head and causing it to be more ruffled than usual.

"Thanks," he said, turning around to leave. "See you in class tomorrow," he tossed over his shoulder. Emma nodded, grabbing the first essay from the stack from three weeks ago.

"See you," she replied, reaching for a pen. It was time to start marking.

* * *

"-And when you're finally finished that marking, you've got to help me pick out something for my date with Victor-"

Emma had learned how to tune out her best friend's ramblings. It was why they were good roommates - Ruby could babble on about whatever she wanted, and Emma could hum and nod along, without getting too distracted from whatever it was she was trying to do at the moment. After working all afternoon and then bringing a stack of papers home with her to her friend's apartment, she was finally almost finished marking one class, at least. There were only two more papers in the stack.

Her friend hadn't stopped talking since she had stepped through the door and kicked off her comfortable teaching shoes, as Ruby affectionately called them. The babbling had continued as Emma had peeled off her business attire and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a black tank top. Then she had settled on the couch, pen and essay in hand as she did her work. She still had to prepare her lectures for the next day, although she knew she could probably figure out her afternoon lecture over her lunch break. It was the morning lecture she was worried about. That would take some work. And with the stress of Walsh lately...

"Ruby?" she spoke suddenly, interrupting her friend mid-sentence. The other woman stopped pacing, staring at her blankly. Emma rarely spoke while she was working, unless it was a quiet exclamation at some student's stupidity.

After a long silence, Ruby finally nodded. "Yeah?"

"Did Walsh call today?" Emma rubbed her temples, setting the paper she had been marking aside. Her friend shrugged and shook her head.

"Nah. I wouldn't have answered, though, you know that."

"He came to the university again today."

Ruby's expression could best be described as murder.

"You told him you needed time. What part of that doesn't he understand?!" she exclaimed, walking towards Emma and sinking onto the couch beside her. Before she could react, the other woman had her wrapped in a tight hug.

"I dunno, I mean... do you think I'm being too harsh on him? We're engaged, after all. Maybe I should just talk it out with him. Forgive him," she mumbled, sitting stiffly in Ruby's arms. After a moment, her friend released her and looked at her curiously.

"He hurt you. You have every right to want your space until you figure things out."

"But that's the thing... I've wanted my space for a while now, and I think I'm pushing him away. We spent so much on this wedding already-"

Ruby cut in. "You have two more months to figure things out. You can afford to take another few days to yourself to figure out how you feel and how you want to move forward." She gently knocked Emma's shoulder with her own. "And hey. I'm here for you, girl. You know that, yeah?"

Emma forced a small smile. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Ruby."

"Any time, Duckie."

Emma managed a small giggle at the affectionate nickname, born in their childhood when Emma had been convinced no one would want to adopt her. It had been only a month after Ruby started using the nickname that her then-foster parents had adopted her.

"I should finish this marking. And then I have to prep for tomorrow. Remind me again why I agreed to teach Milton after Walt left?" She was dead serious. Ruby laughed, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Because you're a good person and Regina was in a bind. It's not like anyone else was gonna teach it," she replied, matter-of-fact. Emma sighed, picking up her pen again.

"At least Belle's taking it in September," she muttered, picturing the young Ph.D. student. She was one of the brightest minds Emma had encountered since she started teaching at Storybrooke. Belle lived and breathed literature, particularly older literature. Emma, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get back to teaching her specialty - children's literature, starting with a course on Fairy Tales in September.

"I don't even know what I'm gonna teach on tomorrow." She groaned, leaning back. Ruby arched an eyebrow. "I mean, I know. Books eleven and twelve of Paradise Lost. But I've got nothing on them."

"Here's a thought. Shoot Belle an email. I'm sure she's got oodles of info you could use," Ruby commented, brushing her fingers through her hair and walking over to the mirror by the door. "It's worth a shot, no?"

Emma thought about it for a moment. The other woman had a point. "Where's my laptop?" She sat up straight, looking around. "Where is it?" She stood up, scanning the room and trying to remember where she left it.

"Kitchen table, my spot might I add," Ruby said over her shoulder as she pulled her tank top off over her head. "I'm going to try on something for my date. And you owe me an opinion after the fantastic advice I just gave you."

Emma laughed, stepping over a pile of books on the floor (hers, since Ruby's belongings took up most of the decent storage space in the apartment). When she reached the table, she opened her laptop and quickly typed up an email, sending it to Belle's student account. Hopefully she would see it and reply before Emma's class started the next morning. Without a second thought, she brought her laptop back to the couch (nearly tripping over her pile of books in the process) and set it beside her, looking up just in time to see her roommate step out of her bedroom wearing an impossibly tight halter top and sleek, leather pants. Her eyes widened as she took in the look.

"Whadya think?" Ruby asked, adjusting the bright red top. Emma nodded slowly.

"It'll definitely catch his attention," she said just as slowly. Ruby beamed at her.

"Exactly what I was going for! Perfect! Kay, so, Victor'll be here in a bit, and if I get lucky, I might actually be spending the night at his place. So don't wait up for me, kay?" she chirped, turning around midsentence and walking into the bathroom, presumably to do her hair and makeup. Emma nodded, shaking her head before picking up her pen once more. She had two more papers to mark, she could do this. And then she would have time to figure out how she was going to teach the end of Paradise Lost to her students, unless Belle got back to her in time.

Once she finished the second last paper, she picked up the final paper from her stack and stared at the name on the top. Killian Jones. Absently, she wondered how he was doing, after being reminded of the problems he was facing earlier in the day. Things were rough for the young man, and he was getting close to graduating. He needed excellent grades if he wanted to get into a Master of Arts program, which he did want, as he had confided in her last semester. She started to read his paper, frowning as she finished the introduction. It wasn't the writing style she had grown to recognize from him over the past two years as he had been in several of her classes. It was sloppy, and disjointed. It made her wonder just how long the issues he had described in his email had been going on.

She finished his paper and frowned, shaking her head and making a note to talk to him when she had the chance. Something was wrong with Killian, and she needed to figure it out before he handed in his final paper for that class. Part of her wished she had caught this earlier, so she could help him before the Milton paper was due, but unfortunately she had been caught up in her own problems.

Setting his paper aside, she looked up to see her friend stepping out of the bathroom, now sporting bright smoky eyeshadow, fake lashes, and bright red lipstick to match her outfit. Her hair was sleek and shiny, and she was smirking at Emma.

"Very nice," she said, nodding her approval. Ruby clapped her hands once before the doorbell rang. Both women giggled together for a moment, and then Ruby opened the door. Emma smirked to herself at Victor's response to his date's outfit, and when the two were gone, Ruby once again reminding Emma not to wait up for her, Emma relaxed back on the couch. Her cell rang, and she checked it, frowning deeply when she saw Walsh's name. After declining the call and turning off her phone without listening to the voicemail, she turned to her laptop.

There was a reply from Belle, along with a document containing all of her notes from the end of Paradise Lost. Emma was impressed, as she read through the notes. She would have to thank Belle profusely. All thoughts of buying a massive gift for the Ph.D. candidate were erased, however, as an email and instant message popped up from Walsh, almost exactly at the same time. Both were asking her why she didn't answer his call.

She had the grace to not slam her laptop shut, but she didn't open it again for the rest of the night. Instead, she spent an hour reading poetry, gave up, found Ruby's alcohol stash, and finally collapsed on her bed close to midnight.

* * *

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she stretched lightly under her duvet. It was a strangely comfortable morning for Emma, even if she did have to leave for the university in an hour. At the same time, however, something felt wrong. There was too much light in her bedroom, and Circle of Life wasn't blasting in her ears.

Emma sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and glanced over at her clock.

Her whole body tensed.

She jumped out of the bed, kicking off her pajama pants.

It was 9:30am. She had missed her 8am alarm.

"Shit!"


	2. Decisions

**Author's Note:** **Thank for for the warm reception to this story so far! I hope you enjoy chapter 2 :)**

* * *

"Shit!"

Emma bolted out of her bed, reaching for her phone while simultaneously attempting to pull her tank top over her head. There was no way she was going to get to the university in time for her class; it took her 40 minutes to drive there, and as she caught sight of herself in a mirror, she knew she had to shower. Her hair was tangled and messy, and she had forgotten to wash off her makeup the previous night.

"Ruby!" she yelled, running into the bathroom and turning on the shower. No answer. Her friend was probably still at Victor's apartment. After shooting a panicked text to Ruby, Emma stepped into the shower and washed her hair in record time. She checked her phone when she stepped out. 9:40. Her class started in twenty minutes. A text arrived from Ruby, a single word showing on her lock screen - ~Belle.~

Emma's eyes widened. Ruby was right. She was entirely right. Thankfully, Emma and Belle had exchanged numbers at the beginning of the year, both being close in age. She quickly dialed Belle's number and set the phone on speakerphone, starting to get dressed while it rang.

"Please pick up, please..." she muttered. Almost immediately, she heard Belle's voice.

"Hello?"

"Belle! Yes, hi! Are you on campus right now?" Emma blurted out, fighting with her pants. Belle replied, sounding confused.

"Yes, I am... Emma? Is everything alright? Did you get the notes I sent you last night?"

Once she was dressed, Emma checked the clock again. 9:43. "I did, yes. Listen, Belle. I have another huge favour to ask you, and if you do this for me you'll be saving my ass. I overslept this morning, and I'm still at home, and I have a class in fifteen. I'm not going to make it... could you go and be a guest speaker or something. Just talk about book eleven of Paradise Lost. I promise I'll be there by 10:30 and you'll be off the hook. Promise," she babbled, her eye on the clock. She could almost hear Belle frowning on the other end.

"I..."

Emma didn't give her a chance to continue. "I'm gonna make this up to you. For the notes and this class. Please, I need you right now."

"Okay. You'll be there for 10:30? I'll do it. What room are you in?"

Relieved, Emma rambled off all the information Belle needed to survive lecturing to her students.

"You are absolutely the best! Thanks, so much," she said, glancing at the clock again. Belle, polite as she was, said a quick 'you're welcome' before hanging up. As soon as Emma was off the phone, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. 9:48. A text arrived from Ruby, and she replied.

~Good call. Asked Belle. All good. Leaving to campus now.~

Ruby's reply was almost instantaneous. ~Don't break any laws to get there faster. Drive safe.~

Emma rolled her eyes. ~I'll get there as fast as legally possible.~

~Best of luck. Love you 3~

~Thanks Red. How was the date with Victor? ;)~

~I'll tell you when you aren't frantically trying to get to work, Duckie~

Emma laughed, pulling on her jacket and picking up her bag with everything she needed for the day at work. A second later, one final text came in from her friend.

~Victor's amazing in bed~

She started laughing harder as she left the apartment, locking it behind her and racing down to the parking lot. Ruby had been kind enough to let Emma use her spot while her own car was being fixed (she had tried to convince her to stop using her grandmother's old car, but Ruby was determined to use it to the bitter end). She climbed into her yellow bug, setting her bag on the floor on the passenger side and starting the car.

The next 35 minutes were the most stressful minutes of her life.

She had never left her apartment this late, and apparently there were several Storybrookians who commuted around this time. It was a surprise to her, but then again, the universe seemed determined to hate her. Maybe it was just the day. She pushed the speed limit the entire drive, and when she got closer to the university, she decided to take a shortcut through some residential streets to avoid the traffic on the main roads. Somehow, she made it to campus, parking in a one hour limit zone outside the building she taught in instead of spending the time to go to the staff parking lot. There would be time to move her car after her class. She grabbed her bag and practically flew into the building and up the stairs.

A half second later, she decided against going to her office first. Instead, she slowed to a brisk walk, heading down the hall towards the classroom. Halfway down the hall, however, she paused. Killian Jones was sitting on a bench, clearly not in class. Emma blinked.

"Hey. I'm pretty sure you have a 10am class on Thursdays," she said, walking over to him. The young man looked up, startled, and tugged an earbud out of his ear.

"Dr. Swan... this isn't..." he paused, his brow furrowed in confusion as he locked eyes with her. "Why aren't you teaching?"

Emma bit her lip. "I asked you first."

"I just needed some time to myself," he replied, relaxing back against the wall and turning his head to the side. Somehow, she knew there was more to it. It probably had to do with his poor performance on his other paper.

"It's getting close to the end of the semester. You should be in class. Is your paper finished? You said you'd have it for today," she said, resisting the urge to put her hands on her hips. Killian merely shrugged.

"Something came up. I'm going to have to take you up on your offer of an extension to tomorrow," he mumbled. Emma frowned, but a quick glance at the clock put an end to her questions.

"I have to get to class, but you should come see me this afternoon. I have to ask you about your American Lit paper," she said, turning and starting to walk off. Before she had fully turned, however, she saw him grow pale and nervous. For the second time in less than 24 hours, she wondered what was going on with him. It wasn't like the senior to skip class, or perform poorly on an essay.

All thoughts of Killian vanished from her mind as she reached the classroom and opened the door. All heads turned, including Belle's, and the PH.D. candidate smiled warmly.

"Right on schedule," Belle said sweetly, stepping away from the podium. Emma walked forward, turning to face the board once she was next to Belle.

"We just finished book eleven, and were starting book twelve," the brunette whispered, offering Emma another smile. Emma grinned back.

"I'm going to repay you for this. Thank you so much," she whispered back. Belle nodded, her cheeks going lightly pink. Emma turned back to her students.

"Let's give Miss French our thanks," she said, as the class started applauding politely. Belle gave a half-bow, heading out of the room as Emma resumed teaching. She didn't catch her breath fully until the class was almost over.

Killian was nowhere to be seen once the class was let out and Emma had left the room. She trusted him to come see her, though. In the past two years that she had known him, he had proven to be a reliable student. After moving her car to the proper lot and returning to the building, she walked up to her office.

Someone was standing outside her office, and it wasn't the person she had been hoping to see. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Before you kick me out again, to be fair you did promise me a conversation," Walsh said quickly, before she could react. Emma dragged her eyes over her fiancé, taking into account his curly hair, messier than usual, the dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes, dishevelled as they were, and let out a long sigh.

"I didn't mean here. I have work to do," she muttered, clutching her bag against her stomach as a sort of barrier between them. Walsh took a step forward, reaching towards her.

"Ems, please... I just want to talk. You've been avoiding me for almost three weeks now..." he said softly, pain evident in both his voice and his facial expression. Emma glanced around, seeing a student walking down the hall, and sighed once more. She pulled her key out of her bag and unlocked her office door, stepping inside and pulling Walsh by the wrist behind her, then locked the door.

"You have half an hour, then I need to prepare for my 1pm class," she said, leaning back against her desk and arching her brow at him. Walsh seemed to relax for a moment, happy he finally had her attention.

"Thank you," he breathed, as she set her bag down beside her, on the desk. She shrugged.

"What kind of fiancée do you think I am? Like you said, it's been three weeks, I think I'm ready to hear your explanation now," she replied as she pulled out her hair tie and shook her hair free. Walsh was nibbling on his lower lip, deep in thought, and Emma frowned. "Tick tock, Walsh."

"Alright, fine. Zelena wanted me to stay later at work so we could finish a project," he started, holding his hands behind his back.

"Sure. A project," Emma started, but stopped talking as her fiancé shook his head rapidly.

"That's exactly what it was. I know you don't believe me-"

"Of course I don't. I was at her dinner party with you. I saw the way your boss was looking at you," she cut in, pain over the memories of that evening rushing back to her. The dreadful woman's gaze had been positively lustful as she had watched Walsh, and Emma had walked in on the two standing rather close in the alcove at the end of her hall. Walsh insisted that nothing had happened, but Emma knew better. If she had never walked in, she was sure Zelena would have convinced the man to do more than merely brush off her thinly veiled advances.

"I stopped, though. I didn't let her do anything. You were the one who blew it out of proportion," he tried to protest, making Emma cross her arms across her middle.

"I didn't blow it out of proportion. Zelena wanted you, probably still wants you, and you weren't doing anything to stop her. You just let her leer at you and invite you to stay late after work, and what was I supposed to think? Not to mention the texts she sent you," she struck back, narrowing her eyes. Walsh couldn't possibly talk his way out of this, and the Zelena issue was only the tip of the iceberg. There were more, unspoken issues between them, and she was positive neither of them really understood everything. And yet, they were still engaged with two months left until their wedding. She had no idea what she was thinking.

"I've asked Dorothy to stay as well whenever Zelena tells me to stay!" Walsh exclaimed suddenly, breaking her train of thought. She laughed bitterly.

"Great, two relatively attractive women and you alone in the office at night. Just perfect. What am I supposed to think?" she repeated herself, starting to catch herself getting too emotional. To drive the hatchet in further, before he could react, she added, "You know it's hard for me, after what Neal did to me in college." Was it necessary? Probably not. Harsh? Definitely. But she wanted him to understand why it was such a huge deal for her.

Walsh was thrown off guard for a moment, staring blankly at her before he collected himself and took a step towards her.

"Emma... you know I'm nothing like Neal. I would never cheat on you. I love you, you know that. You have to trust me. If it'll make you feel better, I'll tell Dorothy not to bother, and ask Archie instead. I want to make this work between us..." he trailed off, reaching out his hand. Emma stared at the offered hand and slowly extended her own, pushing off the desk and moving towards him.

"Prove to me that there's nothing with you and Zelena," she said softly, letting him pull her into his arms. Walsh nodded and kissed the side of her head.

"I can do that. Promise."

For the rest of the half hour Emma had promised Walsh, the pair made plans to have dinner on the weekend and she promised to consider moving back into the apartment they had shared before the fight. Before he left, Emma even graced him with a chaste kiss on the lips to seal their tentative truce.

"I'll see you on Saturday, I guess. Have a good class. What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked, stroking her hair back behind her ears. Emma shrugged.

"Ruby wants to take me to a movie. She knows a theatre that offers a discount on Fridays, believe it or not," she said, smiling. Walsh grinned.

"How lucky. Enjoy that, then," he said, starting to step away. Emma nodded, walking behind him to the door. They kissed once more, and then Walsh opened the door and left down the hall. Emma closed her door once he disappeared around a corner, and leaned against it for a moment. Had that really just happened? She was still trying to process. Had she forgiven him? Not yet. He still had to prove himself. But at least he was willing to try, to stand up to his boss. That was good, right?

When she returned to her office after her afternoon lecture, she resumed grading, finishing it all. It wasn't until she locked her office at 5pm and made it to her bug before she realized something. Killian had never visited her office.

* * *

"Please stop looking like you're judging me," she pleaded to ears unwilling to hear her out. Ruby stood across the room from her, hands on her hips and an incendiary look on her face.

"Hard to do that when I'm judging you. Whatever happened to, oh, I don't know, the fact that _he hurt you_?" her temporary roommate grumbled. Emma let out a long sigh.

"Look, I'm giving him a chance. That's all. If he ruins it, then he ruins it and I'll call off the engagement. But for now, at least he's making an effort," she said, stepping towards her friend. Ruby sighed, giving it an over-dramatic flair.

"Fine. I trust you. But I'm going to the restaurant with you on Saturday and sitting in a booth nearby so I can keep an eye on him." She nodded, grinning. "That way, if he tries anything on you, then I can step in and finally get a chance to show him a piece of my mind."

Emma laughed. "I'm sure he's been living in absolute fear of coming face to face with you since the fight," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "Now do I look alright? Elsa and I are going out."

Ruby took one long look over Emma's hair and outfit and tutted, disappearing into her room and returning with one of her glittery tops. "Here, try this on."

To please her friend, Emma pulled off the shirt she was wearing and tried on Ruby's blue top, grimacing as she turned to the mirror. "I'm not sure. It screams single and ready to mingle, to me," she said slowly. Ruby sighed.

"Oh, fine, wear your top. I wish I could come with you girls… damn night shifts," she complained, putting her best pout on. Emma nudged her with her elbow.

"Next time, we'll make sure we plan for your night off. But I haven't seen Elsa in forever and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, have fun. I'll be expecting texts, especially if you meet a hot guuuuuy," Ruby wiggled her eyebrows at Emma, making her double over with laughter. When she could breathe again, she held up her left hand.

"No guy will come on to me when they see this," she said. Ruby merely shrugged, muttering something about missing out before catching sight of the clock.

"Oh, I've gotta go! Don't get too drunk!" she exclaimed, quickly gathering what she needed for work and heading out the door. Emma closed it behind her and grinned, getting ready for her girl's night out with Elsa.

* * *

There seemed to be a problem outside the bar as Emma and Elsa arrived. It was odd, since as per Elsa's request, this was one of the classier bars in the area, and in the few years that Emma had been frequenting it with her other best friend, there had never been a problem. And yet, someone was in the process of being kicked out, for what, Emma couldn't figure out. Elsa tutted under her breath while Emma watched carefully, both women remaining where they were for the moment. Finally, the very clearly drunk man turned away and started stumbling away, letting out loud profanities. Something about his voice sounded familiar, and as the man came closer to the two friends, Emma finally figured it out.

"Elsa, that's one of my students," she whispered. Elsa turned to her, arching an eyebrow.

"Really? Is he going to be okay?" she whispered back. Classic Elsa, ever the concerned one. Emma wasn't sure, though.

"I don't know… it's hard to say with him," she replied. She was about to say more, but was rudely interrupted.

"Dr. Swan, what are you doing here?" Killian slurred, his Irish accent more obvious. Emma frowned, and beside her, Elsa crossed her arms over her middle.

"Believe it or not, professors have a life outside of teaching. Are you going to be alright? Need a ride home?" she asked, her concern for him growing with each passing second. Killian seemed confused for a moment before he shook his head rapidly.

"No, I'm fine," he mumbled, stumbling back. "Don't think I'm gonna have my essay in tomorrow," he added, looking down at the ground. She almost didn't catch what he said, and then he was gone, stumbling off in the opposite direction. Emma gaped after him, half tempted to follow and drag him back to her bug, to get him home safely. But he was an adult, and she had no idea where he lived.

"I… don't know what I should do…" she said softly, turning to Elsa. Her friend looked as concerned as she felt, and the white haired woman didn't even know Killian.

"Maybe try talking to him when he's sober?" Elsa offered. Emma frowned.

"I guess I'll try…" she said softly, "but for now, let's go try and have some fun."

Elsa agreed, and the pair entered the bar, although their night was far more subdued than she had initially wanted it to be. Her thoughts kept drifting to Killian, wondering how bad things had gotten for him that he was spiraling so far.

She needed to do something before he self-destructed.


End file.
